Preparing a painted wood surface for refinishing or repainting remains a labor intensive task. Typically, a scraper is used to manually remove the old paint or other finish, then the surface is sanded and repainted. While various scrapers are available for this purpose, there remains room for improvement. There is a need for a scraper that covers more surface area, without increased effort. There is a need for a scraper that is balanced and provides even contact with the surface to prevent marring and gouging of the surface. There is a need for a scraper that operates in both the forward and reverse stroke, to maximize efficiency. There is a need for a scraper that can be operated with only one hand. Finally, there is a need for such a scraper that can be easily and quickly sharpened on a sheet of emery paper on a flat surface or on a belt sander. These and other advantages are provided by the present invention.